Search - Kylie Minogue :: Body Language

After 16 years in the pop diva business, Kylie Minogue doesn't bother reinventing herself. Maybe that's why Body Language sounds so effortlessly appealing. Confidence permeates the record's savvy mix of modern and retro, implanting slinky tunes like "Slow" into your brain's guilty pleasure section. Aided greatly by producer Kurtis Mantronik's resourceful touch, sparse electroclash rhythms blend easily with Minogue's shrewd pop sense, milking it for maximum catchiness. True, Kylie's barely-there voice remains a weak spot, and her attempt at rap on "Secret (Take You Home)" doesn't quite work (though it's better than you might think). More often, those helium tones are put to effective use; her sighing vocal on "Chocolate" is pure, sweet decadence. Prince himself might be a little envious of how well Mantronik lays down the 1999-style electro-funk, as tracks like "Still Standing" glide along on computer soul and the singer's practiced tease. And therein lies Body Language's most impressive feat: It makes Minogue's plastic sex appeal sound not just like the most natural thing in the world, but like an honest-to-God artistic statement. --Matthew Cooke